Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves 6

Fresh Chicken Noodle Soup

Inspiration
It’s one of my all time favorite good old American soups. What can I say? The urge comes into my taste mind every season of the year. I guess the frozen peas make it a winter soup.

Leftovers
Roasted chicken, celery, carrots, onions, Italian parsley and fresh thyme

Hints

1. I buy bone-in split chicken breasts so I can use the carcass for stock. I almost always roast and extra one for sandwiches or other leftovers or cook those skinless, boneless pieces for extra meat.
2. A package of frozen peas in the freezer is handy for more than icing bruises; this soup just isn’t complete without peas.
3. Cooked pasta expands in liquid. To avoid that puffy weird pasta look you see at soup bars, either cook only enough pasta for the first day it is served or save and refrigerate extra cooked pasta and add it to the soup when it is reheated.

Ingredients
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
½ medium size yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 medium size carrots, sliced ¼” thick
¾ cup sliced celery
1 ½ quarts homemade chicken stock (really, you haven’t tried it yet? Come on, it’s so easy.)
1 large, multi stemmed sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed from all but 6 small branches that will be used for garnish. Or, 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
6 oz. cooked chicken, cut into strips
½ cup minced Italian parsley
1 cup frozen peas
1 ¼ cup cooked pasta (Farfalle, thin Fettuccini cut into 2” strips, Orecchiette, Dischi, Orzo)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Heat olive oil in soup pot. Soften onion and garlic and add carrots. Cover and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add celery, stock, thyme and chicken. Bring to a steady simmer and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.
2. Turn down heat to low simmer. Add parsley, peas and cooked pasta, and cook for about 2 more minutes to blend all flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. To Serve: ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with remaining parsley and a small stem of thyme.